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New York Islanders News

Montreal Canadiens defeat New York Islanders 4-2
February 10
Montreal Gazette
 
"Max Pacioretty picked up his first NHL hat trick to lead the offence and Carey Price made 31 saves as the Canadiens defeated the New York Islanders 4-2 at the Nassau Coliseum Thursday night. But the loudest cheers from the Canadiens' fans in attendance were reserved for Scott Gomez, who scored his first goal in more than a year. Standing still: The Canadiens' third consecutive victory allowed them to move into 11th place in the Eastern Conference standings with 53 points and a one-point edge over the Islanders. But the Canadiens made little progress in their pursuit of a playoff spot because the teams they're chasing either won or earned points. The one exception was Toronto, which lost to"
Islanders find way to lose another crucial game
February 10
New York Post
 
"There is no one saying that the Islanders don't have an abundance of problems, but there's just something about the way they find a way to lose important games that makes it seem like any upward mobility in the standings is more pipe dream than possibility. Last night at the Coliseum was a prime example, as the Islanders went toe-to-toe with the Canadiens, but because of a confluence of mistakes, misfortune and missed opportunities came away empty-handed, losing 4-2. "These are points that you can't let slip away," said coach Jack Capuano. "To make a push for the playoffs, you have to win your home games. The last few here, we've played decent but not good enough to win. That's the"
Flyers fall to Isles in SO for third straight loss
February 8
CSN Philly
 
"Talk about twisted irony. Only in Philadelphia could beleaguered Flyer goalie Ilya Bryzgalov, trying to find confidence, get his 25th career shutout and still lose. And feel bad about it, too. That's because while Bryz was good in net, his counterpart at the other end Tuesday night at Wells Fargo Center, Evgeni Nabokov, was simply sensational."
Flyers can't solve hot goalie, lose 1-0 in shootout
February 8
Courier-Post
 
"Ilya Bryzgalov's 25th career shutout isn't one worth remembering to tell the grandkids. The other goalie was better. His bad shootout record got worse. The Flyers lost. "It's a bad taste in the mouth," Bryzgalov said after the Flyers' losing streak stretched to a season-high three games with a 1-0 shootout loss to the New York Islanders."
Islanders' Nabokov shuts out Flyers
February 8
New York Post
 
"Evgeni Nabokov faced a barrage of shots from all angles, stopping everything that came at him. Nabokov made 45 saves and Frans Nielsen and John Tavares scored on Ilya Bryzgalov in a shootout, helping the Islanders beat the Flyers 1-0 last night. Nabokov was sensational, turning aside every shot he faced — including two in the shootout. He recorded his 52nd career shutout and second this season in his return to the NHL after a brief stint in Russia. "They were all decent and quality shots," Nabokov said. "Sometimes you get a rebound, a weird bounce and they go in. That is just the way the game is.""
Report: Isles, Nielsen agree on 4-year extension
February 7
NHL.com
 
"It appears as though Frans Nielsen won't be headed anywhere before the Feb. 27 trade deadline. TSN's Bob McKenzie is reporting Nielsen has agreed to a four-year extension with the New York Islanders worth $11 million."
Tavares making believers of Isles fans
February 4
Ottawa Citizen
 columnist Wayne Scanlan
"To the average hockey fan, the New York Islanders evoke a certain image: Eccentric management operating a losing team out of an ancient arena. From within, John Tavares holds a different view, having staked out a loyalist position. Tavares, the 21-year-old face of this long-troubled franchise, sees a promising young team with a realistic dream of reliving some of its old glory, and he would like nothing better than to help guide it there. When Tavares signed a three-year, $33-million extension in September, he sent a strong message to his Islanders teammates and fans that – whatever else might befall this franchise – the cornerstone of hope was in place. The move was as important as it was"
Isles sink struggling Sens in OT
February 4
Ottawa Sun
 
"The Senators couldn't stop the bleeding Friday night with the Battle of Ontario looming. Playing at Scotiabank Place for the first time since Jan. 12, the Senators saw their losing skid reach five games after defenceman Mark Eaton scored his first goal since Nov. 28, 2009, to give the New York Islanders a 2-1 overtime victory. The 18,252 went home in stunned silence as Eaton, left alone in front of the net, beat goalie Craig Anderson with a backhander at 2:35, in his 600th career game. It capped another disappointing effort for the Senators, who now find themselves in a precarious position to make the playoffs. They are sixth in the Eastern Conference, five points up on ninth-place"
Tavares, Poulin seal Islanders win over Canes
February 1
Raleigh News & Observer
 
"For a long time Tuesday, the Carolina Hurricanes struggled to get the puck past unheralded 21-year-old goalie Kevin Poulin, who was playing for the Bridgeport Sound Tigers of the American Hockey League last week. But in the end, it was another 21-year-old, one of the emerging stars of the NHL, who did in the Canes. John Tavares scored a pair of goals and had two assists, leading the New York Islanders to a 5-2 victory at the RBC Center."
Tavares' four points lead Isles past 'Canes
February 1
NHL.com
 
"Some players just seem to have a team's number. New York Islanders All-Star center John Tavares has Carolina's. "I think great players find a way," Islanders coach Jack Capuano said after Tavares struck for two goals, including the game-winner in the third period, and two assists in a 5-2 win against the Hurricanes at the RBC Center. Tavares made it look that simple in helping New York to its third win in three games against the Hurricanes this season. After Carolina scored two goals early in the third period to erase New York's 2-0 lead, Tavares needed just 41 seconds to get the go-ahead goal by firing home a pass from Matt Moulson. who finished with three points. Tavares assisted on Kyle"
Back to the real NHL games
January 30
Ottawa Sun
 columnist Chris Stevenson
"The days at the beach, as tweeted by Capitals defenceman Mike Green from the Cayman Islands, are over. The neon tans from Las Vegas will now start to fade. The NHL's feel-good weekend here — a resounding success which revolved around the emotional outpouring between Ottawa captain Daniel Alfredsson and Senators fans — now becomes a fond memory. Ahead is a 30-game sausage grinder that is the rest of the NHL season. "You need the break whether you're here or somewhere else doing something different. This is a part of the season the guys really look forward to, just to recharge the battery," said Maple Leafs winger Joffrey Lupul. "When you get back from this break, you're re-energized and you"
Chara's stars beat hometown hero Alfredsson
January 30
Ottawa Sun
 
"On his big day, Daniel Alfredsson surrounded himself with Swedes. But it was a bunch of Slovak buddies, led by New York Rangers winger Marian Gaborik, who drove Team Chara to a 12-9 victory over Team Alfredsson in front of 20,510 in the 57th NHL all-star game Sunday at Scotiabank Place. While former Senators defenceman Zdeno Chara scored the third-period winner, it was Gaborik, voted the game MVP, who led his club to victory with a hat trick and four-point effort as Team Chara walked away with the bragging rights. "You could see the guys wanted to win," said Chara when asked if he gave his team any instructions with the score tied 6-6 going into the third period. "I didn't have to say a"
Who will win? Breaking down All-Star teams
January 27
NHL.com
 
"The draft is over, the rosters set for the 2012 Tim Hortons NHL All-Star Game. We now know who will be wearing the white jerseys for Team Alfredsson and the blue jerseys to represent Team Chara. Now it's time to take a look at the rosters and break them down by position. Look for our prediction at the end. FORWARDS Datsyuk and Malkin on the same team is a scary proposition for the opposition. They may be the two most skilled players in the NHL right now. As Chara said, you can put them on the same line and they can be unstoppable, or you can put them on separate lines and they'll still be dominant and "make the line." Team Alfredsson has a lot of talent, but it doesn't have two"
Leafs Locker: Islanders slam refs
January 26
Toronto Sun
 
"Discipline is in the eye of the beholder in the NHL. While the Leafs were back-slapping on Tuesday for making it through a second game against the Islanders without needing a penalty kill — "phenomenal" was how coach Ron Wilson put it — New York players were livid at how Toronto transgressions escaped notice of the officials. "It's embarrassing," forward Josh Bailey told Newsday. "To go two straight games without a penalty ... I don't care how disciplined you are, that's just baffling. We're pretty mad about it." A couple of Islanders sported bandages from Leaf high sticks. Star forward John Tavares thought he'd been cheap-shotted by Joffrey Lupul's high stick at the end of the second"
Maple Leafs, Gustavsson shut out Islanders
January 24
Toronto Star
 
"It may well be that GM Brian Burke has already traded for that top-six scoring forward. His name is Matthew Lombardi. Maybe you've see him — that flash of speed on the second line. Lombardi scored twice on Monday night, leading the Maple Leafs to a 3-0 victory over the New York Islanders as Jonas Gustavsson picked up his third shutout in the month of January. Cast as the guy — or the contract — the Maple Leafs had to take so they could get defenceman Cody Franson from Nashville, Lombardi recovered from his concussion sooner than most expected."
Can Toronto Maple Leafs stop John Tavares?
January 23
Toronto Star
 
"Hockey reporter Kevin McGran asks five questions in advance of the Leafs game Monday night against the New York Islanders. 1. Can the Leafs stop John Tavares? No one else has lately. The phenom has a 12-game points streak (eight goals, 13 assists), the longest points streak in the NHL this season. 2. Does Joey Crabb or Carl Gunnarsson get into any real fights? They got into it with each other Sunday at practice and one has to wonder whether frustrating is mounting as the losses mount. A bad outing against the Islanders could put some players over the edge."
Flyers badly outplayed in home loss to Islanders
January 20
CSN Philly
 
"Perhaps Peter Laviolette's Flyers thought this was going to be easy. Perhaps they thought they didn't have to show up given they had won 23 of the previous 24 Islander games, dating back to March 2008. Perhaps they thought they could rely solely on goalie Sergei Bobrovsky doing the dirty work since he had a 7-0 career record with a 1.86 goals against average and .944 save percentage against this club."
Flyers fail to heed warning
January 20
Courier-Post
 
"The Flyers were warned. Peter Laviolette pleaded for his players not to look past a team they'd been manhandling for years. He warned everyone not take the New York Islanders as seriously as they should because seemingly tougher challenges await with games this Saturday in New Jersey and Boston in their building come Sunday. His message never got through. It didn't matter that goalie Sergei Bobrovsky stood on his head stopping four of five breakaways in the first two periods."
Capitals lay an egg in shutout loss to Islanders
January 18
Washington Times
 
"Everything was working in the Washington Capitals' favor. Despite an injury to leading scorer Nicklas Backstrom, they were rolling along thanks to an advantageous home schedule against four straight opponents who played the day before. Tuesday it all came to a crashing thud with a 3-0 loss to the New York Islanders at Verizon Center — a listless performance that taught the Caps yet another lesson about how quickly things can go terribly wrong."
Washington is flat and shut out for first time this season, 3-0, by Evgeni Nabokov
January 18
Washington Post
 
"With a chance to sweep a four-game homestand and head out on the road riding a wave of success, the Washington Capitals instead were knocked backwards by the second-worst team in the Eastern Conference. Washington looked flat as players failed to win battles for the puck and coughed it uprepeatedly against the New York Islanders, who zipped around the ice despite playing in the second of back-to-back nights. The Capitals' decidedly uninspired play would elicit boos from the crowd at Verizon Center on Tuesday night and later send fans streaming toward the exits early as their team fell, 3-0, to the lowly Islanders."
Nashville Predators beat New York Islanders
January 17
Tennessean
 
"For much of the season, the Predators found strange and borderline miraculous ways to come from behind to pick up wins and points. Now they're figuring out how to play from ahead. Nashville rode three first period goals and turned to goaltender Pekka Rinne to clamp down on the New York Islanders in a 3-1 victory Monday afternoon at Nassau Coliseum. The victory was the fifth straight and eighth in the past nine games for the Predators. During their past nine games, Nashville has allowed a total 17 goals."
Sputtering start dooms Islanders
January 17
New York Post
 
"In the same way in which it seems the Islanders' season is unraveling, yesterday's Coliseum matinee against the Predators was too little, too late. A 3-0 deficit just 11:37 into the game was enough to bury the offensively challenged Islanders, as they lost 3-1 in front of 10,755. "I don't think we started slow, I think we mismanaged the puck," said coach Jack Capuano, whose team (16-21-6) has now dropped four of its past six and whose slim hope at making a run at the playoffs has just about disintegrated. "The first two goals came off turnovers," Capuano said about opening scores by Sergei Kostitsyn and Matt Halischuk, coming on the Predators' first two shots of the game within the first"
Sabres, Vanek feel the sting of latest defeat to Islanders
January 15
Buffalo News
 
"Thomas Vanek was a mess. He got hit in the face with a puck Saturday night, and he stood in the Buffalo Sabres' dressing room with a huge lump near his right eye, the redness seemingly growing by the minute. Still, as he talked about missing a tying penalty shot with just 1:24 to play, it seemed the pain was worse inside. The Sabres found yet another way to avoid a winning streak, this time giving up two goals in the final 3:03 to drop a 4-2 decision to the New York Islanders. Michael Grabner scored both late goals, but Vanek had a chance to erase the first one. Shortly after Grabner gave the Isles a 3-2 lead, the officials awarded a penalty shot to Buffalo because New York defenseman Mark"
Rick DiPietro to have sports hernia surgery
January 13
Newsday
 
"Rick DiPietro needs another surgery, and yet another of his Islanders seasons appears prematurely over. Newsday has learned that DiPietro will have surgery on Tuesday to repair a sports hernia. He has been out since he suffered a groin injury Dec. 3 in Dallas, an injury that nagged him long enough that the more serious sports hernia was discovered by the team's medical staff. "This is something I thought would just heal up and go away, and instead it got more and more debilitating," a somber DiPietro told Newsday Friday from Boston, where he will have the surgery. "I'm almost bionic at this point.""
Bobrovsky's strong effort leads Flyers past Isles
January 13
CSN Philly
 
"As Ilya Bryzgalov looked on from his lonely perch in the crowd at the Nassau Coliseum, the other Flyers' goalie stood strong and helped his team to victory. In fact, it took only 2:49 for Bryzgalov and everyone else watching the Flyers and Islanders to realize what kind of evening Sergei Bobrovsky was going to have. Bobrovsky came up huge for the Flyers when Isles winger Michael Grabner was awarded a penalty shot. Confident and collected, Bob came way out of his net before perfectly turning away Grabner's shot to keep the game scoreless early."
Talbot upset with 'dangerous hit' by Staios
January 13
CSN Philly
 
"t was the kind of moment that causes anyone watching to inhale sharply with worry. Max Talbot was up against the boards in the Flyers' zone. Suddenly, he was run over by Islanders defenseman Steve Staios, who seemed to lift his elbow just as he made contact with the Flyers' center. Talbot took the hit and fell to the ice. Hard. His head and neck lurched back as he went down. After trying to lift himself up, he merely made it onto his hands and knees before, thankfully, a whistle allowed the Flyers' medical staff to attend to him."
Bobrovsky answers call for Flyers
January 13
Courier-Post
 
"With his head down and looking a little dazed, Max Talbot sat on a bench against a back wall inside the tiny visiting dressing room at Nassau Coliseum acting like he didn't want to talk about a head shot that darn near ruined his night. How did he feel, the Flyers winger was asked once and then twice. "I'm OK," he responded."
Isles outplay Flyers — but lose anyway
January 13
New York Post
 
"There was no question the Islanders got the wheels spinning last night at the Coliseum. The only problem was the fact they never got anywhere. After outplaying the Flyers for 60 minutes, buzzing from end to end with enthusiasm and hard work, the Isles came away empty-handed, losing 3-2 for their third defeat in their past four games. "It's frustrating for the guys," coach Jack Capuano said after his team lost its eighth straight game to the Flyers (0-6-2) dating back to last season. "This is one game that I really thought we played well." Because the Hurricanes won last night, the Islanders are again in last place in the Eastern Conference, but it surely isn't from a lack of effort."
Rangers' trio joins Tavares on All-Stars
January 13
New York Post
 
"Dan Girardi may be the happiest man alive to be notified of an assignment to spend four winter days in Ottawa. The 27-year-old defenseman appeared jubilant upon being named to play in the All-Star Game in Canada's capital city on Jan. 29, with the match capping four days of league-sponsored festivities. "It's great to get the recognition," said Girardi. "It's a pretty big honor. I'm going to savor every minute of it." Girardi, making his first All Star appearance, will be joined in Ottawa by teammates Henrik Lundqvist and Marian Gaborik, both named for the third time."
NHL names remainder of All-Star Game roster
January 12
NHL.com
 
"The Vancouver Canucks, who started the day with the best record in the Western Conference, also lead in another category -- most players added to the All-Star Game. Four members of the Canucks were among the 36 veterans and 12 rookies announced by the NHL for the 2012 Tim Hortons NHL All-Star Game, to be played Jan. 29 in Ottawa. Players from all 30 teams will be represented at the game, with four members of the Canucks added to the pool of players Thursday -- forwards Henrik and Daniel Sedin, defenseman Alexander Edler and forward Cody Hodgson, who was one of the dozen rookies selected to play in the game and the 2012 Molson Canadian NHL All-Star Skills Competition, to be held Jan. 28."
Mike Babcock, Red Wings get defensive after loss to Islanders
January 12
Detroit News
 
"All this season, the Red Wings have been one of the best defensive teams in the league. With a 2.36 goals-against average (6th in the league), they've been able to succeed in improving last season's difficulties in that area. But in the last four games, the concerns have resurfaced. The Wings have allowed 15 goals during that span (two of the four games were losses). Tuesday's 5-1 loss to the Islanders was particularly scary, with numerous breakdowns and odd-man rushes."We weren't very good," coach Mike Babcock said."
N.Y.I. 5, Detroit 1: Islanders better than Red Wings 'right from the get-go'
January 11
Detroit Free Press
 
"Hours before the Red Wings played the Islanders on Tuesday night at Nassau Coliseum, coach Mike Babcock cautioned against taking an opponent low in the standings lightly. The warning didn't take. A dismal defensive performance left the Wings absorbing a 5-1 blow that dropped them to 11-13 on the road. The Islanders are 5-0-1 against Detroit the past six meetings. "Obviously, me talking about it wasn't enough," Babcock said. "They were better than us right from the get-go.""
Islanders steamroll past the Wings
January 11
Detroit News
 
"Hours before the Red Wings met the Islanders on Tuesday, after the morning skate, coach Mike Babcock proved prophetic. Babcock was asked about the lowly Islanders' success against the Red Wings. The teams don't play often — but when they do, the Islanders also seem to hand the Red Wings a loss. It happened again — Islanders 5, Red Wings 1. The win gives the Islanders a 5-0-1 record against the Red Wings since the lockout ended in 2005. Why are the Islanders so successful against the Red Wings? "Because we don't get prepared," Babcock said earlier in the day. "The bottom line is you come in here, you look at the standings, you don't give them enough respect, and they have real good players."
Red Wings wing it without Pavel Datsyuk
January 11
Detroit News
 
"The biggest surprise during Tuesday's morning skate? Red Wings center Pavel Datsyuk didn't practice. And, he didn't play against the Islanders, either. Datsyuk is day-to-day with a "lower-body injury." "Did it catch us by surprise? Yup," Red Wings coach Mike Babcock said. "I thought he was playing. If we'd have known for sure, we'd have another player." Detroit, however, didn't have enough time to get a replacement from Grand Rapids to New York in time for the game, so the Red Wings went with 11 forwards and seven defensemen."
Montoya, Ullstrom scheduled to practice
January 9
Newsday
 
"As the Islanders stumbled home from two bad losses in Anaheim and Phoenix, there was a chance that some reinforcements might be waiting in the wings. Goaltender Al Montoya and forward David Ullstrom, both out since Dec. 21 with concussions, are scheduled to practice with the team Monday. Montoya had been the Isles' No. 1 goaltender before Evander Kane caught him with a stick to the head in Winnipeg 19 days ago. Montoya had started 10 of the previous 12 games, and the Islanders were 6-4-2 in that span. Evgeni Nabokov has started the past eight games in goal, and though he looked sharp in winning three straight, he allowed nine goals on only 45 shots in the two losses this past weekend and"
Tense talks loom for NHL, players
January 9
Montreal Gazette
 columnist Red Fisher
"Oh, to be a fly on the wall when Gary Bettman and Donald Fehr, along with their lawyers, sit across the table to discuss a new collective agreement. All the more in view of the stunning announcement on Friday that the National Hockey League is shelving plans for the massive realignment it had agreed upon for next season following the NHLPA's refusal to agree to the changes. The NHL, as you know, announced in early December that it planned to switch from two three-division conferences to four seven-or eight-team conferences. At the time, there was no reaction from the players' man. On Friday, Fehr told Bettman and the owners – who had agreed to realignment by a 26-4 margin – to shove it."
Ducks show signs of life in win over Islanders
January 7
Los Angeles Times
 
"For once, the script played out exactly the way it was intended. One beleaguered and frustrated general manager called out his star players in the media. And two of them answered in emphatic fashion in the next game. Welcome to the Ducks' crazy, spinning world on ice. They beat the New York Islanders, 4-2, on Friday night at Honda Center, securing their first win in four games and their second in their last nine. Bobby Ryan scored twice, Teemu Selanne added a goal, Corey Perry had two assists, and captain Ryan Getzlaf scored the game-winner. Big picture: It was Getzlaf's first goal in 13 games, third in 30 and first since Dec. 4. Bigger picture: This was the first game since comments"
Realignment plans put on hold
January 7
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
 
"The NHL's radical realignment will have to wait at least a year. The league announced Friday that the NHL Players' Association did not give its approval to the realignment plan that it had crafted in December at its Board of Governors meeting. The current divisional and playoff formats will remain for the 2012-13 season. Penguins CEO and president David Morehouse, who was delighted when the new plan passed last month, declined comment yesterday. General manager Ray Shero, out of town on a scouting trip, could not be reached. "It is unfortunate that the NHLPA has unreasonably refused to approve a plan that an overwhelming majority of our clubs voted to support and that has received such"
Islanders top Canes 4-3 in a shootout
January 4
Raleigh News & Observer
 
"It's a new year and the Carolina Hurricanes were looking for a winning start Tuesday. The Canes didn't get it. The New York Islanders tied the score with 1:30 left in regulation on Kyle Okposo's goal, then won it 4-3 in a shootout on goals by PA Parenteau and Frans Nielsen. LaRose gave the Canes a late lead, hustling on the forecheck, battling for the puck behind the Isles' net and then in the corner. Finally corralling it, he skated out and beat goalie Evgeni Nabokov with a quick wrister to give the Canes a 3-2 lead with 4:14 left in the third period."
Oilers sink to Islanders 4-1
January 1
Edmonton Sun
 
"Considering the way things have transpired, the Edmonton Oilers are probably happy to see the calendar year come to an end. Especially considering things are starting to look eerily similar to last year. On Saturday, the Oilers ended 2011 by losing 4-1 to the New York Islanders and dropping further out of the playoff race. "I thought we had good energy, we had good pace in the first period, I thought we were engaged," said Oilers head coach Tom Renney. "I thought we were physically involved and we became a little unglued as the game went on. We took some bad penalties and our specialty teams let us down."
Islanders 2011 in Review
January 1
New York Post
 
"New arena shot down With the Nassau Coliseum coming up on its 40th year — and looking worse for the wear — owner Charles Wang spent years trying to privately finance a new arena, each plan getting shot down by the county legislators. The end result was County Executive Ed Mangano asking to borrow $400 million from the taxpayers to fund a new arena, which was voted down on Aug. 1 with about 56 percent of the small 100,000-person turnout voting no. Now the franchise's future is in limbo, as their lease at the Coliseum ending in 2015 and there being no plan to stay there one second longer than they have to. Free agents still say no With the outdated facilities and a dim snapshot of Long"
Flames done in by dash of dazzling Tavares
December 30
Calgary Herald
 
"One gent in the stands was proudly wearing a No. 91 jersey — with GORING stitched across the back. Well played, but on this night it was the other No. 91 that had been on the minds of every New York Islanders fan in the house. And why not? John Tavares, plenty dangerous for 40 minutes, stole the show in a (temporarily) deadlocked third period. Taking a tap pass from Kyle Okposo, the 21-year-old flew down the right wing. Gaining easy entry into the Flames zone, he skipped around defender Chris Butler and, cutting hard to the net, neatly beat goalie Miikka Kiprusoff to push his team ahead."
Lundqvist zips Islanders for Rangers' 5th straight
December 27
New York Post
 
"It's safe once again for Henrik Lundqvist to go back to the Garden to watch the Knicks play. It wasn't always that way. After being pulled from nets on Feb. 3 of last season after allowing three goals on 12 shots in 35:04 of a 3-2 loss to the Devils a night after having been photographed with Justin Bieber on celebrity row watching the Knicks play the Mavericks, the King was strongly discouraged, if not specifically prohibited, by coach John Tortorella from returning to watch Carmelo Anthony and his teammates the rest of the way. But there Lundqvist was on Christmas Day, watching the Knicks beat the Celtics in the NBA season opener. "Well, we had won four in a row," a smiling Lundqvist"
Islanders goalie Montoya out with concussion
December 23
New York Post
 
"The Islanders suffered another goaltending injury when Al Montoya was diagnosed with a concussion following a collision during the shootout win over the Jets on Tuesday night. Montoya had established himself as the team's No. 1 goaltender with solid play following injuries to Rick DiPietro and Evgeni Nabokov. Nabokov, who had not played since Nov. 17, replaced Montoya and did not allow a goal in the 3-2 victory. He is expected to start in goal against the Rangers on Thursday night at the Garden."
Gaborik's line lifting Rangers
December 23
New York Post
 
"The most important thing to know about hockey chemistry is that it is not science. Rather it is an undefinable mixture of preparation, communication, instinct and work ethic. Or else, perhaps it's just as Professor Artem Anisimov explained it when asked why his line featuring Derek Stepan in the middle and Marian Gaborik on the right is evolving into such a perfect union by saying, "I don't know; we just play hockey." They play hockey with three working and thinking as one, merging their talents to create off the rush, rather than play dump-and-chase, aided immeasurably by the re-identification of Gaborik as a world-class goal-scorer after a season in which an imposter inhabited the"
Islanders lose to Stars with backup Poulin in goal
December 17
New York Post
 
"It was a tribute to their moxie that they lasted as long as they did. The Islanders were outplayed all of last night and the result was them eventually blowing a one-goal, third-period lead in a 3-2 loss to the Stars at the Coliseum. When Stars' winger Jamie Benn streaked up the right side of a 3-on-1, 4:33 into the third, and he wristed one past rookie goalie Kevin Poulin on the short side, the backward snap of the net seemed an inevitability coming to fruition. The loss took the Islanders to 0-3-1 in the past four games and dug their first-half hole even deeper. "I think I was just thinking too much," said Poulin, who besides allowing the game-winner was solid in making 26 saves in his"
Grinders put Montreal Canadiens over the Islanders 5-3
December 14
Montreal Gazette
 
"The skinny: Petteri Nokelainen scored on a one-timer at 13:45 of the third period to snap a 3-3 tie and the Canadiens went on to beat the New York Islanders 5-3 Tuesday at the Bell Centre. Josh Bailey and John Tavares scored third-period goals to bring the Islanders back from a 3-1 deficit. Andrei Kostitsyn, Mathieu Darche, Erik Cole and Hal Gill scored the other Montreal goals, while Matt Moulson opened the scoring for the Islanders. What's it mean: The Canadiens have won two games in a row for the first time since Nov. 10-12 and the victory moved the Canadiens into ninth place in the Eastern Conference. Buffalo, New Jersey and Montreal each have 33 points, but the Canadiens have played"
Stars' Fistric suspended for hit on Islanders' Niederreiter
December 8
New York Post
 
"The hit that left Islanders forward Nino Niederreiter with a concussion will cost Stars defenseman Mark Fistric three games. The NHL suspended Fistric with the league's head disciplinarian Brendan Shanahan explaining it was given because Fistric left his feet and launched upward at Niederreiter. Niederreiter has not played since that game, which the Islanders won 5-4 in Dallas. Fistric will be eligible to return when the teams meet again at Nassau Coliseum on Dec. 15."
Forces 'align' against Rangers, Devils, Islanders
December 8
New York Post
 columnist Larry Brown
"Understand this: The road to the Stanley Cup, let alone to the playoffs, will become exponentially more difficult for the Rangers, Islanders and Devils to travel upon inception next season of the NHL's four-conference radical realignment plan that was overwhelmingly passed Monday night by the Board of Governors. Everything is cyclical in sports, that's true — one only has to consider how dramatically the once-mighty Devils have fallen over the past few seasons to support that axiom — but it doesn't take a seer to see the degree of difficulty that will confront our three local teams beginning in 2012-13. There will be fratricide in the as-yet-unnamed conference in which the Rangers,"